The Art of Silence
by MyCurrentObsession
Summary: AU. He first met her while playing his sitar on the street looking for some tips and she was sitting in the park a little ways away, ripping up her artwork. He'd never met someone quite like her. Demyx/Namine, Axel/Kairi. On hiatus; being revised.
1. Sad Girls and Art Don't Mix

AN- This'll be my first try at a completely AU Kingdom Hearts story, so bear with me. It'll be Demyx/Namine and Axel/Kairi, just to clarify (more of the former than the latter, because Demyx is the main character, but I'll try to add plenty of the other pair, too). Hope you enjoy chapter one of_ The Art of Silence_!

Disclaimer: I own the plot, but the characters, settings, and everything else is not mine.

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**Sad Girls and Art Don't Mix**

**Ever since I first got my sitar, I've wanted to become a musician. **I'm determined to one day be famous. My name will go down in history as one of the best musicians of all time. This may sound all fine and good, but when you're living in a huge place like Hollow Bastion, it's not so easy to make it big. Even with great skills at playing an obscure instrument and pretty good vocals, record deals don't just grow on trees. The only way to get to get a good record company behind me is to get some attention on the streets. That's why I've taken to doing some street performances on weekends.

My roommate from Hollow Bastion University (or HBU, as everyone calls it), Axel, calls me an idiot. See, I'm so determined to fulfill my dream, I quit my old job working as a waiter. I'd been about to quit anyway, though, because I kept getting yelled at for either goofing off or messing up orders. The food business is too serious. Musicians are allowed to be a lot more free spirited, which is just what I need. Anyway, Axel thinks I'm dumb because now my only source of income is the tips I get from my performances, which, admittedly, don't amount to much. I believe his exact words are something like, _"Demyx, you dumbass, either get your fricking _(only Axel, being the completely inappropriate up-yours kind of guy he is, didn't say '_fricking_')_ job back or get a better dream, preferably one you can accomplish, oh, say, __**now**__, because I'm not paying for you. Got it memorized?"_

Oh yeah, I have his harsh words committed to memory. And one day, when I'm making way more money than he is _and _getting to live out my dream, I'll make sure to rub it in his pyromaniac face- just a little, though, because he _is _pretty much my closest friend.

I sigh. Today's Saturday, meaning I'm out here once again, on the cold, hard streets playing and singing to the best of my ability. I've been out here since eight in the morning. Fricking _eight in the morning_! I'm usually a morning person, but I'm pretty sure all this singing is making me lose my voice. It's starting to sound scratchy and it's kinda painful. It's only 5:30 pm, and I haven't eaten since my late breakfast at ten! I'm starved, my throat hurts, and I've still got another hour and a half before I retire for the day- oh yeah, I've barely made anything today, either. Could things get worse?

"Incoming!" I perk up ever so slightly at the sound, turning to look, and then WHAM! I'm hit in the head with a soccer ball that some brats in the park across the street had been playing with. Great. I grit my teeth to keep from cursing, instead opting to chuck the ball back at the kids, only taking mild satisfaction in the fact that I nail one with it. My head feels like it's throbbing. Just great. What did I do to deserve this?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a young girl, no older than sixteen I'm sure, watching the incident. That girl's been sitting there, by the fountain, drawing in a sketchbook, since noon. I haven't seen her leave since I saw her arrive. She's a bit creepy, actually, what with her whitish blonde hair and haunting blue eyes- I haven't paid her tight-fitting white dress any mind, since I'm not a total perv like Axel. I bet she'd be pretty if she smiled, though.

My head throbs again, and I clamp a hand to it, brought back from my reverie by the pain. The kids are out of earshot. I curse softly to myself. My head hurts like hell.

"Hey, mister goody two-shoes is cussing. Has the world ended?" I freeze. I'd know that sarcastic voice anywhere.

I force a smile and turn around. "Hey Axel! What's up?"

The spiky redhead grinned, emerald eyes glancing at my earnings before riveting back to my own aqua eyes. I frown slightly. He came to make sure I'd made enough to take the subway home, again, despite the fact that I'd told him it wasn't necessary. That's the thing about Axel. Despite all his big tough talk, if he really cares about you, he'll help you out in a bind. His smile seemed a bit tight and forced, just like my own. "Nothing much, dude. Just thought I'd see what _you _were up to since I was in the area. How'd you do today?"

The smile dropped from my face. "I did fine. I've got enough to make it back via the subway to the dorms, at least. Wish I could've made a little more, but I'm not gonna complain. I asked for this. Beggars can't be choosers, as the saying goes. You can go on and head back. I'll meet up with you later."

Minutes passed as my friend contemplated, and I grew more and more frustrated. Just before my patience snapped and I yelled at him, a faint ripping sound coming from the park attracted my attention. The odd girl was still there, now sitting on the fountain's edge, slowly ripping pages out of her sketchbook that she'd spent hours drawing, crumpling them up and throwing them in the water. She was trying to be quiet and inconspicuous about it, but my sensitive hearing had picked the noise up.

Axel, noticing I wasn't paying attention to him anymore, followed my gaze and frowned. "The hell's she think she's doing?"

My frown matched his quickly deepening scowl. Axel hated things he couldn't understand. He was a closed-minded person as a result. I could agree that seeing a girl ripping up papers and throwing them in the water was an odd sight, however. "…I don't know." I turned to Axel, but kept one eye trained on the girl, afraid of what she might do next. "That girl's been here like all day, drawing away in that sketchbook. Even if she didn't like her work, why would she rip it up and throw it away in the water? That's littering." Normally, when I talk to someone, I try to keep eye contact with them, as a common courtesy, but I couldn't keep my eye off of the odd girl who was steadily filling the fountain with her art. Her sluggish movements made her seem… _sad _somehow. My brow furrowed. Was she sad?

Axel realized that my attention wasn't going anywhere for a while and sighed. "Alright, Demyx, if you think you can make it on your own, then whatever. Make sure you've got enough money and then get back before curfew. It wouldn't do to get in trouble, now would it? Oh, and commit this to memory… the best way to start a relationship is to get the girl to like you. Go comfort that weirdo chick, and maybe you'll get something…" The feral expression on my friend's face appalled me, and I gave him a slap on the arm. He just snickered and walked towards the train station, waving goodbye.

I sighed and began making my way over to the girl. She was turned away from me, and I wondered whether or not I should make some sort of noise to alert her to my presence. Once I got close enough, however, I noticed she was murmuring softly to herself whilst filling the fountain. Curiosity won me over, and I approached her silently, tall enough to see what she was doing over her shoulder. It was now just after six, and the sun was setting, so she probably thought nothing of the shadow that fell over her. Either that, or she just had no sense of self-preservation.

The girl sighed after throwing one of many pictures into the water. I caught a quick glimpse of it before it vanished beneath the ripples and other soggy papers. It was a picture of a boy with spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes holding hands with a blonde girl. The girl, I assumed was her. "Loves me…" I froze at the words. What? "Loves me not…" She proceeded to rip out another page, this one showing the boy from before, only with his arms wrapped lovingly around a girl with pretty red hair.

"Loves me…" A picture of a boy with long, styled silver hair and sea green eyes giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Loves me not…" The same boy looking longingly at the redheaded girl from before.

The girl paused at the next picture, and her breathing hitched oddly. Glancing over her shoulder I could see the sketch showed a young man with long pink hair towering over her on a bed, a smirk plastered on his face. It was hard to tell from the picture, but I'm pretty sure her expression was one of terror. I blinked at the picture. This was getting a bit weird, and I was more than a little creeped. If these pictures had any sort of hidden meaning, I sure as hell didn't wanna know about 'em. Besides, this guy seems way too old for her!

The girl gazed at the picture for a moment as if in a trance before slowly ripping it out and adding to her collection in the fountain. "…Loves me… Loves me not…" The next picture, as expected, showed the pink guy with some freak show girl with blonde hair and… two antennae for bangs playing what could only be described as 'tonsil hockey'. Oh, and the girl was the one shoving _him _into the wall, not the other way around. I shuddered. I'd never told anyone, but dominatrices kinda freaked me out. The girl ripped the page out.

Before I could see whatever freaky image awaited me on the next page, I cleared my throat. No way was I watching this transpire any longer, cause I was getting seriously creeped- and worried about this girl's health. "…Why are you tearing up all your art when you spent all day working on it?"

The girl froze before hunching over, looking all the more vulnerable. I had a sudden epiphany: if she stayed here, looking like that, then she'd be the next victim of one of the local gangs. Before I could calmly tell her to _Get the hell out of here_, she stood up and stepped away from me. Before I could reprimand her for her complete and total rudeness, she tripped over a branch, and her sketchbook went flying… right into the fountain, where all her other art had been waiting for it. I quickly snatched the book out of harm's way, shaking it a bit in a feeble attempt to salvage the remaining art, before rushing over to the girl trying weakly to stand. I offered her a hand up, but she waved me away, clutching her right ankle tightly. She'd twisted it, it seemed.

Wordlessly, I grabbed her free arm and slung it around my shoulder (which was a bit difficult, since I'm a good foot taller), hoisting her up. Her head snapped up, and when she met my gaze, her look could only be described as that of a deer caught in headlights. She whimpered, and I pouted. Was I really that scary? I tried to placate her. "Hey, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just trying to help you. I'm a nice guy, really."

Her face lost its fearful visage, and instead went blank. She spoke, her voice as monotonous as she could make it, despite the fact that she was slightly shaking. "Then why are you even here? You've got no reason to be at the park at this time of day."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you haven't noticed, since you've been glued to your work since you got here, but I've _been _here. I'm here every Saturday and Sunday, playing my music across the street." I unstrapped my sitar from behind my back and showed it to her. "See? I was here before you were, girl, and I usually leave at seven or so. I've got more reason to be here than you do." Then I blinked. It was true. I've been routinely coming here every weekend for almost a year now, and knew the face of almost everyone in the vicinity by heart. This girl, I realized, was not from around here. I'd never seen her before in my life. "Why… are you here?"

The girl gazed somberly at me, not saying a word. She still didn't protest when I began moving us towards a bench so she could sit. She remained completely quiet. I scowled. I hate silence. I handed over her soggy sketchbook, waiting for a reply, and gritted my teeth when I received nothing but silence and haunted eyes staring at me. "Hey! Say something, already!" The girl flinched, and I regretted losing my temper so easily. "Uh… sorry! I'm not trying to be mean or anything, it's just that I really don't like silence! So… will you please say something…?"

She stared at me a moment longer, eyes trying to judge me. I tried my best to stay still and quiet. Finally, she spoke softly. "…Thanks…"

I resisted the urge to yell at her again. I'd expected some sort of conversation, but apparently, that was expecting to much. This girl unnerved me. I'd never met someone quite like her. I struggled to find something to say. "Um… my name's Demyx, by the way. It's nice to meet you…?" I trailed off, waiting for her to tell me her name, but she stared blankly at me instead. I sighed. "…Okay, so you don't want to tell me your name. I'm okay with that." No, I'm not. "…You new here? I know everyone around, but you're a new face."

She glanced away, a far-off look in her crystalline blue eyes. "I arrived here last night on the subway."

I raised an eyebrow. "_O-kay_, so you're not from here. You're new. Where are you from, then?"

Her gaze asked me why I cared. I gulped and looked away. This girl _really _unnerved me. "…I'm from lots of places. I lived in Destiny Islands for a long time, but until now I've been staying in Twilight Town."

I frowned, trying to remember exactly where these two places were. Destiny Islands, I remember, is a far-off resort place. Those who actually _live _there are considered extremely lucky. From here, it's about… a seven-hour drive away.

Then, there's Twilight Town. It's about four hours away, but me and Axel went there once to visit a good friend of his, Roxas. Roxas was this short blonde fireball who was, I'm guessing, about this girl's age. Messing with him meant you'd get your ass whooped- trust me, I know. Him and Axel wreaked havoc on Twilight Town for the short time they were together. Anyways…

"Wait. Did you come from Twilight Town to here all by yourself?" She nodded. "On the _subway_?" Again, she nodded. I blinked. It took four hours just _driving _here from there, but taking the _subway_ probably took at least an extra hour because of all the stops. "Didn't that take forever? And cost a lot of money?"

She nodded before standing up. She seemed to have recovered some of her strength from her temporary resting. "Thank you for the help, but I have to be going. I've got to find a place to stay tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why not just stay where you did last night? Could you not reserve a hotel room for more than one day?"

She turned to look at me, an unreadable expression on her face. "I didn't stay at a hotel last night."

My jaw dropped. "Don't tell me. You didn't stay here at the _park_,did you?!"

She frowned, face looking guarded. "No. A nearby fast food place that was open all twenty-four hours allowed me to stay the night because they took pity on me."

I got off the bench and walked over to her. "Well, if you need a place to stay, there's plenty of room in the dorms. You'd have to deal with staying with two guys, but-"

"No."

I blinked. She'd seemed quite determined in that one word. This was the most emotion she'd shown yet. "No?"

"No. I don't want you or anyone else taking pity on me. I don't… need it." She was showing some spine here, being stubborn, but somehow… she seemed all the more sad.

I sighed. I couldn't force her to stay at the dorm, but I wasn't going to leave her to be taken by some creeps. "At least let me take you to a nearby hotel so I know you have a place to stay."

She glared, and I glared back right. We silently fought for what we wanted, before she finally averted her eyes, now scowling at the ground instead. "…Fine."

I smiled. "Great! There's one just a couple blocks from here, I think. Let's go before the gangs start coming out." She glanced at me curiously, but didn't respond. We started towards said hotel. She was hobbling, so I helped her when she needed it. We walked in silence, but it was a more comfortable one, so I let it slide. When we arrived at the hotel and I walked in with her, she glared at me again. "I can pay for myself."

I nodded. "That's good, because I need my money to take the subway back. I was just making sure you got checked in."

The clerk watched our squabble, not really giving a damn. He turned to the girl. "How will you be paying?"

"Cash."

"How many nights will you be staying?"

She suddenly looked unsure. "I… I'm not sure. Two for now, please."

"And… your name?" I leaned forward, anxiously waiting.

She looked panicked. "Well, I, um… is this completely necessary?"

The clerk gave her a patented, _Are you retarded? _look. "You have to be checked in under a name, miss. It's the rules."

I looked between the girl's distressed visage and the clerk's bored face a few times before finally caving. "Uh, does it have to be _her _name she's checked in under?"

The clerk stared at me. "Pardon?" The girl was staring, too. I gave her my best smile.

"I said, "Does it have to be her name she's checked in under?" Like, if I gave you my name and phone number, she could be checked in under my name, and if there are any troubles, you could just call me?"

The clerk frowned. "Well, I suppose that would work…"

I grinned and nodded, grabbing the offered paper and writing down my cell number quickly. "Great. I'm Demyx Nerio. I'm nineteen, and go to HBU. Anything else you need?"

The clerk sighed and handed the awestruck girl a key. "Nope, that'll be all. Your room is number twenty-six on floor two, okay miss?"

The girl nodded, but was gazing at me as if she couldn't comprehend what I'd done. I smiled down at her. "Well, I really gotta go. Make sure you get that ankle checked out, alright?" She nodded slowly, clutching the key and her sketchbook tightly to her chest. "It was nice meeting you! Next time, and there _will _be a next time, make sure to tell me your name!" That said, I waved and walked out the door, not looking back. At least, I wasn't _going _to look back until I hear her call.

"Wait!" Despite her hurt ankle, she rushed back out to me on the street, blonde hair flying.

I turned to her again, genuinely confused. "Yeah?"

She took a moment to catch her breath before looking up at me, face tinted red. "Uh… your last name, Nerio, means 'wet one', right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes…"

She cocked her head to the side, smiling lightly. I was awestruck. It's the first time she's smiled since I saw her, but I was certainly right. When she smiles, she's beautiful. "Do you like water, Demyx?"

I nodded, grinning lightly myself. "I love it, actually. But really, c'mon, that _can't _be what you came out to ask or tell me."

She smiled lightly again, and for a moment, I couldn't see any sadness in her eyes. "You're right. You said we'll meet again, right?"

I nodded, and her smile got a fraction wider. She turned around and began walking away. I was stunned. "Wha? Hey! What're you doing?"

"Going back inside. It's cold out here. But just so you know for when we meet again…" She turned a bit and locked eyes with me. I froze. Looking deep into her gaze, I could see what I'd missed before. The sadness was still there, and she was just trying hard to hide it and play happy with me, probably as a way to thank me for my kindness. She giggled, and a lump grew in my throat. Her laugh sounded so real, so genuine, so _damn melodic_, but her eyes were not smiling. Really, if she wanted to thank me, she was going about this the wrong way. I'd have preferred to see the real her, no matter what she was like. I think I lost the will to speak because of the number her act did on my brain.

"My name… is Namine."

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AN- And… that's the first chapter! Whatcha all think? Tell me about anything and everything you liked and disliked about it. Constructive criticism helps. It really does. Oh, and _please _tell me if the characters are okay. I've got this thing about trying to not be OOC. Reviews are appreciated!


	2. Hotheads

AN- Hello again and welcome to,_ The Art of Silence_! In this edition, we get a little look into Axel's life, and he… well, I won't spoil it for you. Oh, and just so you all know, Axel, as a way of showing he's good friends with Demyx, occasionally just calls him 'Dem'. I'm telling you this now so as not to confuse you later. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the space occupying your brain. No, really. XD

Warning- This chapter has a few crude remarks and vulgarities, due to Axel's potty mouth.

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**Hotheads**

**Let me get this straight: I'm not a pyromaniac. **Sure, I admit, I like fire. Everything about fire is absolutely amazing, in fact. I'd go into detail about just how much I _love _fire, but then I'd sound like a sap- or worse, Demyx on one of his love-love-love rants. Anyways…

I looked up pyromania in the dictionary once, just to prove my point. I was given, "The uncontrollable urge to set fire to things," as the definition, which did in fact prove me right. I can control any and all urges- I just usually opt not to. And if anyone is fucking idiotic enough call me a pyromaniac, I'll set 'em on fire- trust me, Dem knows. He spent weeks regrowing his hair after he first called me that. Now he only thinks it, which I'll let slide.

Speaking of my blonde idiot roommate, I'm… kinda worried about him. He may be determined to fulfill his dream and all that shit, but quitting his job was just plain _retarded_, even for him. I've taken to checking up on him during his weekend street performances, despite the fact that he told me not to. So far, he's been making enough money from tips to keep him going, but I can't help but notice that lately, his tips have been getting more and more scarce. I blame it on the fact that he's recycling songs, having only written about five.

Anyway, today some weird chick was ripping up paper in the park, and mister goody two-shoes just _had _to go see what was up, so here I am, getting on the subway alone. It's not that I mind, really, but sometimes the subway has some real weird passengers-or it's just plain _boring_. It takes quite a bit to creep me out, but I've seen some things on this very ride that have done just that.

I sigh loudly as I enter the train, because I'm annoyed and as such want everyone else to know it and let me be. It's pretty empty tonight, luckily. The only people around are a couple of old ladies in the front knitting, a couple screwing around in the back, and a middle-aged dude reading the newspaper. Then, a flash of red catches my eye. Hold on a minute…

In the middle of all the idiots going about their daily lives sits a short girl with shining red hair and violet eyes, looking a bit out of place. She clearly isn't from here, because I'm pretty sure I'd recognize a girl of her standard. That pink zippered dress she's wearing really suits her…

I grin, knowing exactly how I'm going to entertain myself tonight. I stride on over and plop down right down next to the redhead, and she looks at me warily, a frown being the key indication that she doesn't like the sudden attention. My grin widens. It's always more fun to win over a challenge.

She tries to inconspicuously scoot the tiniest bit away. "Can I help you?"

Normally this would be the time for me to give out a crude innuendo that would make the person on the receiving end either blush crazily or, if she was slutty enough, go along with it, but I could tell that this girl was kind of a prude. I didn't want to scare her off, so I just shrugged and grinned devilishly, locking eyes with her. I've been told by tons of women that my eyes are irresistible. "Hi."

She narrowed her eyes and scooted a foot away. "…Hi. Once again, can I help you?"

I debated about scooting back closer before deciding against it. That would just piss her off. "The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" She snorted and looked away. "And your name?"

She smirked back at me then, and I blinked. "Confidential."

My jaw dropped for the smallest moment before I got it under control, bringing it into a smirk that matched hers. So she was gonna play it that way, huh? Well, I could do the same thing and beat her at her own game. "Aww, you can't even tell me? After all, I'm just a stranger on a bus who you'll never see again… What's the harm in telling me your name?"

Her smirk widened, as if she'd won. I frowned for a moment. What was she so cocky about? "The fact that you're just a stranger means I _definitely _shouldn't give you any information about me. Sorry, no can do."

She had me there, and she knew it. Damn. I scowled. "What, did your mommy tell you not to talk to strangers, little girl?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Nope. She knows I'm just smart enough to know better. And that's a rather childish insult. Who's the kid here?"

Again, she had me beat. This girl was definitely one with bite to back up her bark. Still, I wasn't about to give up. All her resistance had done was inspire me more to win. She'd require a little more work, is all. I grinned like the Cheshire Cat and narrowed the distance between us by scooting closer. She tensed. "I'll admit, I can act like a kid sometimes. It makes life more fun. That's one of life's little lessons. Make sure you commit it to memory, 'kay girl?"

She glanced backwards, clearly wishing to put more space between us. Too bad for her she was already on the edge of her seat. She glared at me, fire in her eyes. "Yeah, sure, I'll make sure to remember. Is there a point to your rambling?"

I snickered. She was totally running out of ammunition, but I was still packing some big guns. I was so going to win. "Yes actually, there is. I'm going to prove I'm the mature one here by _not _responding to your taunts and letting the subject drop." She blinked at me, disbelieving. I grinned. "So… where are you from?"

She seemed to catch on to my plan, and scowled. "Didn't I already say that I'm not telling you anything? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a persistent guy. So, what brings you here? I mean, a place like this can't be right for a girl like you…"

She was completely flustered by now. Doubtless my chances of seduction had gone down the drain, but I was having a good enough time matching wits with her, so it didn't matter. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just saying, a prim and proper chick like you isn't going to last long in a place like Hollow Bastion. There are quite a few guys lurking around who'd love to steal that innocence of yours."

Her face was red with fury by now, but she refused to let me get the best of her. "And I'm assuming it's safe to say you're one of those guys, right, you sexist pig?"

I raised an eyebrow. Truthfully, I'd been expecting something along the lines of what she'd said first, but 'sexist pig'? Where'd that come from? I mentally reviewed what I'd said and realized that, of all things, she'd taken offense at being called a _chick_. I snorted a few times and then started busting up. I'm willing to bet that quite a few of the passengers were watching us by now. Not that I really give a damn.

I swear, after my laughter subsided, I heard the girl growl. "What's so _funny_?!"

I put my hands up in defense. "You've got the wrong idea, girl. First, I've never been with a woman who didn't want me, and second, I wasn't trying to start something when I called you a chick. If anything, I was _complimenting _you, got it?"

She huffed and crossed her arms, but settled back into her seat. "…Pretty derogative compliment, if you ask me…" I rolled my eyes. It figures the first girl to actually interest me in a long time was one of those 'women's rights' chicks. She eyed me critically before sighing. "…If I tell you what I'm doing here will you leave me alone?"

I stared at her, stunned for a moment, before grinning. I knew she'd cave. "Sure."

She gawked. "Really?" I nodded, inwardly snickering. After all, my stop was coming up anyway. I'd have to leave her alone whether I wanted to or not. Might as well get what I could out of it. She smiled. "Great then! I've come all the way to Hollow Bastion because…" she paused, suddenly looking depressed, before continuing, "…I'm looking for someone."

I frowned curiously. "Looking for someone? Who?" She didn't reply, opting instead to stare intently at her lap. I twitched in annoyance. I hate suspense. "Ya know, if you don't tell me who you're looking for, I'm just going to assume it's some ex-lover or something, because that's the kind of guy I am. Now talk, woman!"

Her head snapped up so fast, it gave me whiplash. She shook her head furiously, pink tingeing her cheeks, while I tried to get the crick out of my neck. "N-no! It's _nothing _like that! _Honestly_, what kind of girl do you think I am?!"

Having nothing to lose, I told the truth. "A prude."

She stared at me in shock for a moment before scowling furiously. She raised a hand as if to slap me, but then lowered it and looked away. Clearly, I was right. I sighed. "Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It just means you'll have trouble keeping a guy."

She glared. "Not all men are like _you_, Axel."

We both blinked. It was obvious that she hadn't meant to, but she'd familiarized me so easily, it made it seem like we were old bickering friends instead of strangers. I was about to say I was completely fine -more than fine- with her calling me by name, but the subway came to a halt, and I knew without looking that it was my stop. I sighed loudly before standing up.

Little Miss Attitude looked at me quizzically. "Hey, where are you going?"

I gave her a blank look. "It's my stop, idiot."

She stared a minute before looking down at her lap again. "…Oh… yeah, of course." She looked back up, locking eyes with me. If I were Demyx, I'd make some girly comment about how amazing her eyes are, but since I'm not, I'll keep quiet. "Hey, Axel?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled at me, revealing her pearly whites. "It was… _interesting _meeting you. I'm not gonna say it was nice, because it _wasn't, _but it's still the most entertaining thing to happen to me today, so…"

I grinned. "I got it. Now I really have to leave, so… bye."

She shouted behind me. "My name's Kairi, by the way!"

Now that I knew her name, I just couldn't help it. I turned around. "Really? Too bad. I was just going to keep on referring to you as 'that fiery hotheaded girl I met'. Oh, and… I do mean hot in _every _sense." A couple of the old ladies gasped. I rolled my eyes. This train had a lot of prudes tonight, I'll say that much...

I turned and walked away before she had the chance to respond- I got the feeling sticking around would be hazardous to my health. I could still hear her shouting. "_AXEL_!!!"

I caught a glimpse of her face when the train started moving again: it was bright red. I just wished I could tell whether it was out of anger or whether she was blushing. I chuckled and started walking towards the dorm rooms.

Once I get to me and Dem's room, I eat last night's leftover spaghetti and plop down on the couch, deciding I'll be a couch potato until my roomie gets back from wooing the messed up blonde. Fortunately, I don't have to wait long.

Dem came in after I'd only just gotten through an hour of _SpongeBob SquarePants _reruns- a childish choice of entertainment, I know, but there was nothing better on. He looks kind of… out of it. I clear my throat from where I'm lounging. "Hey, Dem."

He spots me on the couch and smiles tightly. He doesn't think I don't notice it's faked, does he? "Oh, hey, Axel! I was wondering where you were…"

I roll my eyes and sit up, making room for him on the couch. "Don't tell me you came home alone."

He blinks oddly at me. "Huh?"

I sigh. He really is an idiot sometimes. "You that bad at getting women, Dem?"

He blushes at my words. My roommate actually _blushes. _Yeah, that girl, Kairi, she isn't the only prude around here… "A-Axel! I'm not that kind of guy! I just wanted to help her out, is all!" I raise an eyebrow, and he huffs. Sometimes, I think he's gay. "Look, I am _sorry _that I don't womanize like you do. When I get girls, it's for the actual _relationship_, not the sex. Seriously, when was the last time you had a girl for more than one night?" …At other times, Demyx is just really fucking _annoying_.

As I don't have a good retort for that, I keep quiet, and amazingly enough, so does he. He hates silence, so I can only presume he's thinking. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him mouth something. _Naminé_.

I tell most everything to Demyx, considering the only person I'm closer to is Roxas, and I hardly get to see him nowadays. There's one little thing he still doesn't know about me, though, and that's that I can read lips. See, I figured out that when Dem is thinking really hard about something but doesn't want to talk about it, he'll start mouthing it without actually speaking. If he knew I could tell what he was mouthing, he wouldn't let me see and I wouldn't be able to help him. That's why I've kept my little gift a secret. But… who is this Naminé? The blonde girl, perhaps?

Dem looks at me. I try to act natural. "…Say, Axel, have you ever met someone who can act completely fine even if they're really sad?"

I snort. "No. Most people are smart enough to know it's best to just let everything out. Bottling things up is retarded, you know."

He cracked a grin at that. "…Yeah, you're right."

I scratched my ear and acted nonchalant. "This about that girl?"

He tensed. "Well, yeah… But…"

I sighed. I didn't know what his deal was, but it was pissing me off. "You don't want to talk about it, yeah yeah, I _get _it. You won't talk about her, and _I _won't talk about the amazing girl I met on the train today."

He looked up. "You met someone?"

I nodded. "Yep. And I was-" I paused to put my hands up and hold them centimeters apart. "-_this _close to taking her home with me. If only she hadn't been so damn difficult…"

Dem chuckled. "Wow. So there is a woman capable of resisting your charm, after all…" he teased.

I snickered. "Aw, I'll get her next time. Anyways, I'm gonna take a shower."

He grinned. "Okay!"

I thought quickly. "Right then. When I'm done with my shower, I want you to tell me all about that girl, alright? It won't kill you, so be ready to talk when I'm finished!" That said, I walked into the bathroom quickly so he wouldn't have a chance to deny me. Then, after waiting a minute, I snuck back out behind him.

As I'd assumed, he was now thinking about this girl again. I could see him mouthing her name, over and over again like a mantra. _Naminé. Naminé. Naminé. _Finally, he works up the courage to actually say her name, saying it slowly at first so he can get a feel for it. "Na… mi… Na-mi-ne. Naminé." The word rolls out of his lips too many times to count, and each time, he says it a bit differently, as if trying to see how many ways he _could _say it. Then, he started emphasizing parts of the name. "Naminé. _Na_miné. Na_mi_né."

I'd never seen him so obsessed with a word before. It was… more than a little disturbing. Then, I realized I'd wasted more than enough time listening to my friend molest some poor girl's name and ran -quietly- into the bathroom. I had to get in the shower quick, before Dem snapped out of it and realized that I should _already _have been in and out.

Stripping off my clothes, throwing them in the laundry basket in the room a few feet away, and stepping into a blast of hot water, I wonder what could happen next, what with Demyx having gone mental over some crack addict girl and thoughts of violet eyes inadvertently entering my mind. I'd enjoyed our little contest more than I should have.

I heard music suddenly blasting from the living room. Dem must have snapped out of it when I turned the shower on and was now drowning himself in music. It was only then that I realized I'd forgotten a new set of clothes- and a towel.

Dammit. There were _no _other towels or spare clothes lying around, and Demyx clearly wasn't turning off his music any time soon, meaning no amount of screaming would reach him. I gritted my teeth and let out a stream of curses.

Dammit all to hell.

* * *

AN- And… this is the end of chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed reading Axel, and weren't too turned off by his horrible potty mouth and crude remarks. Once again, constructive criticism helps! And reviews make me EXTREMELY happy! *wink, wink* See you next time!


	3. What's in a Name?

AN- Hello all and welcome to another installment of _The Art of Silence_. In this edition, we go back to Demyx's point of view and see what he's up to (brooding over Naminé a whole lot…). He'll meet up with someone completely unexpected, and the plot starts rolling. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot, folks! Get used to it!

* * *

**What's in a Name?**

**No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to tell Axel about Naminé. **I just… couldn't. Now don't get me wrong, I really did try, because I knew he really wanted to know about her and all that happened (despite his nonchalance), but honestly, I barely know what happened, myself.

I mean, I met this really good artist, Naminé, who, for reasons unknown, was tearing up her art. All of said art showed pictures of her and some guy, and then the same guy with another girl- this was done for who knows how many guys, too. It was… disturbing, really. And of course, there was just the way she _looked _at me and acted in general. Like a porcelain doll. So very fragile; proceed with caution, buddy, 'cause she's prone to breaking. She was so sad…

And when she told me her name… I don't even _know _what came over me. It's like, I'd been so, _so _sad and sorry for her, because I could tell underneath all her fake smiles that she was so sorrowful, but when she finally told me what I'd been waiting to hear since I'd first talked to her, I just felt this sudden… _elation_. I swear, it's like I went into a trance, or something! I don't know why, but her name just had the weirdest effect on me…

Anyway, I got on the subway feeling totally out of it. There was some short redheaded girl on the train who looked pretty much the same way, actually. She seemed really sad, and… lonely. Like she was missing something dear, almost. Any other day, I would've tried to cheer her up -and flirt a bit; she was _cute!_- but… I was too zoned out on the thoughts of Naminé at the time.

Thinking back on it today, that girl looked a lot like the one in one of Naminé's pictures. Hmm… I wonder… Nah! That had to be a coincidence…

Heck, she's more likely to be that violet-eyed beauty Axel keeps talking about, Kairi, but I never actually looked in her eyes, so I wouldn't know.

I'm pretty sure Axel knows I'm just not feeling quite right, because he's been acting a bit odd since last night… Of course, that could just be out of embarrassment…

I can't help but snicker. Last night, I'd really zoned out and started just repeating Naminé's name like a robot, but then I heard the shower running, and it brought me back down to earth. Now, I'm one of those guys who likes to listen to music a whole lot, -duh! I'm a _musician_- especially when I need it to drown out all thoughts. I'm fond of turning the music up to max and just blaring it. I'm talking wake-up-and-_piss-off-_the-whole-neighborhood loud. Anyways, last night, I spent a good half-hour singing along to songs, when I was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. I turned around… and screamed. Like a little girl, or so I'm told. But hey, in my defense, you'd scream, too, if you turned around and saw your _butt naked _roommate glaring death at you.

Really, I think Axel was far more angry than he should have been. I mean, _he's _the one who forgot clothes and a towel, not me.

Anyways, today's Sunday, meaning I've got another day of work cut out for me. I'm hoping that maybe during lunch time I can swing by Naminé's hotel and have a chat with her over some sandwiches, or something. I'm positive that Axel would find the idea incredibly lame, but then I remind myself- he doesn't know anything about her.

It's a bit depressing, trying to act as if this day is the same as the day before, the same as all the previous weekends. After all, now, I've met _her_, and for some reason, everything just feels… different (_Naminé.Naminé.Naminé._). Just thinking of her name (_Naminé._), or of her haunted blue eyes(_So beautiful… but so sad._) makes me get the funniest feeling in the pit of my stomach. I sigh as I put down my sitar- another song has ended, and all I want is for it to be lunchtime, so I can go talk to her again.

The sun shines in my eyes for a moment, and I wince at the light before yawning (_I was up till one thinking about her…_), taking the opportunity to stretch my arms- and check my watch. It's still only a quarter after ten, which is way too early to invite her to lunch. Well, damn. I pout just slightly, then brighten as an idea hits me. It may be too soon for _lunch_, but now's the perfect time for _brunch_!

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to pursue those thoughts, as just then, a petite redheaded girl walked up to me, pausing for a moment to throw a dollar in my sitar case. "Excuse me."

I blink as my reverie disappears, and then quickly smile at her- she gave me money, after all, so I should at least be nice to her. "Yes?"

Violet eyes stare into my own, a hesitant smile adorning her face. I blink again, feeling as if I'd forgotten something, but shake off the feeling in favor of looking the girl over more carefully. She really is small, about the size of Naminé, I'd guess, with shining red hair, an oval face, and truly unique eyes. Normally, she'd definitely be the type of girl I'd try (and fail) to flirt with, but strangely enough, all I could find myself thinking was, _If she dyed her hair and got colored contacts, she'd look exactly like a happier Naminé._

I snap out of it when she starts speaking again. "You're a local here, right? You come every day?"

I raise an eyebrow at the question, but answer truthfully. "Every weekend. I'm busy during the week with college."

She nods. "Okay, so you were here yesterday, right?"

Again, I'm baffled. "Yes… Why exactly do you need to know?"

She seems to contemplate something over before deciding. She stares hard at me, as if peering into my soul. It's unnerving, and I'm reminded eerily of Naminé's similar stare last night.

"I'm looking for someone."

The words bring me out of my Naminé-induced reverie and cause me to once again really _look _at the girl in front of me. I can't help but feel as if there's something about her I should remember, which is weird, considering this is our first meeting. She frowns and shifts uncomfortably under my scrutiny as the thought I was looking for finally hits me: _the pictures!_

I try very hard not to gape and instead stumble through my next words. "Y-you wouldn't happen to be l-looking for a boy with crazy brown hair, w-would you?" _Or perhaps a taller boy with long silver hair?_

To say she was startled would be an understatement. The girl before me openly gawked, looking very much like a befuddled fish, but finally regained her composure a minute later.

"N-no, but, why do you ask? Have you seen a boy with hair like that?" She looked away, as if contemplating something and whispered to herself. "Why is Sora here?"

I blinked. _Sora? Is that his name? _"I, uh, haven't seen a guy like that, actually. It was just… a random guess, I suppose."_ She really might be the girl in the pictures… But if she's not looking for that Sora guy, who __**is **__she looking for?_

The redhead looked at me suspiciously, violet eyes narrowed. "Really…?"

I gulped. For someone so short, she sure was intimidating. "Y-yeah." Her glare didn't let up, but I continued on doggedly. "S-so… who is it… that you're looking for?"

She was quiet, as if reanalyzing me to ensure I was someone at least mildly trustworthy. I stiffened under her gaze, but she finally spoke. "…A girl. She's about my size and age with long blonde hair-"

"And blue eyes?!" I interrupted. I just couldn't help it. The moment she'd said 'long blonde hair' my thoughts had gone straight to Naminé. And really it made sense. If this girl _was, _in fact, the girl from Naminé's pictures, surely they knew each other…

Again, she was shocked into silence. "…Yes." The girl peered at my curiously. "Do you k-"

Again, I interrupted her, which, I admit, was terribly rude of me, but I was desperate to learn more. "Is the girl you're looking for wearing a white dress? And carrying a sketchbook?"

The girl nodded fervently. "Yes and _yes_! Do you know where she is?!" Her voice held a slight tremor in it now, as if she was bottling up something fierce.

I nodded with enough enthusiasm to match her own nod. "_YES_!"

The girl grabbed my sitar case and closed it swiftly before handing it and grabbing my arm. "Then take me to her, please! Take me to Naminé!"

I ran the directions back to the hotel through my head just so I could make sure I didn't lead us somewhere else and then gave the girl another nod.

We started running.

* * *

AN- And… that's where this section stops! I apologize again for the wait, but the thing is, I had trouble with this chapter. See, I really wanted it to seem as if Demyx had really been affected by meeting Naminé, but didn't know how to go about it. The result is him seeming to be mildly obsessed. I'm sorry, but it's the best I could do. If you've got a suggestion on how to fix it, let me know. Also, I'm giving out cookies to those who can guess who the girl is and what her relation to Naminé is! Bye~!


	4. And the World Came Tumbling Down

AN- Well, I originally planned to finish up the next chapter of a different fic (Pokémon), but the amount of reviews I got convinced me to go ahead and crank out another chapter of this first. This chapter's mostly back-story on Kairi and Naminé, just so you all know- it's from Kairi's point of view! And *gives cookies* to **Amu123** and **always-kh **for reviewing and correctly guessing that the girl was Kairi (not that I didn't make it totally obvious…) and even pretty much guessing her relation to Naminé. You'll find out in this chapter. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

**Warning**- This chapter contains many Sora/Kairi, Riku/Kairi, Sora/Naminé, and Riku/Naminé parts, as it's all about the girls' past. Please bear through them, as the end pairings are still the same. Also, you might think you see some Kairi/Naminé in there- it's not like that! Everything is meant as sisterly love, kay folks? Of course, you can see whatever pairings you want to…

**Also-** There are many sections in the chapter in which everything's in italics- these are flashbacks. Normally, two people are speaking, and one of them is Kairi, but once there are three people, and it gets a bit confusing since those sections are just what people are saying and nothing else. Feel free to ask if you can't tell who's saying what. And the bars usually express longer time skips and the beginning and ending of the chapter, while the row of hyphens indicates shorter time skips/flashbacks beginning and ending. Again, if you're confused, ask me about it!

* * *

**And the World Comes Tumbling Down**

**I always took everything from her. **At least, I'm pretty sure that's what Naminé thought. It's not like I meant to (okay, maybe when I was a little kid, I _did _steal her stuff on purpose, but it's not my fault her choice of toys, crayons and paper, were so much more fragile than my Barbies); most of the time I just wanted one of the people I admired most to pay a bit more attention to me. I was so stupid then; so selfish.

I can remember so many times in which I'd snatch her crayon box away, whining that I wanted her to play with me. She always pleaded with me to give it back, and I never would- not until she agreed to play with me. We were both stubborn back then, so usually she never gave in until _something _was destroyed in our tussle for possession of the crayons.

----------

"_Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Naminé! Please forgive me, I didn't mean it!"_

"…_It's okay, Kairi. I'll ask Mom for a new box of crayons. Lets go play with your dolls." _

----------

When it came to toys, at least she always forgave me for accidentally breaking her favorite color crayon or ripping her newest drawing.

If only it had stopped there.

For about the first five years of our lives, we were happy and everything was fine. Mom, Dad, Naminé, and me. The four of us were a family living peacefully in a small suburb known as Radiant Garden.

Then it all came crashing down.

----------

Ever since she was born, our mom suffered from an illness. It had never been fatal or anything, but she was constantly bedridden. Not long after Naminé's and my fifth birthday, her condition got worse. Dad says we should have seen it coming, _would _have seen it coming, and been able to prepare for it, had we not been clinging desperately to hope in such a hope_less_ case.

Mom died, and our family suffered a great loss from it.

Maybe it's wrong and selfish of me, but I think I was the one hurt most by the loss. I ended up spending a lot of time with her whenever Naminé refused to play with me. Playing with my mother became my _passion_.

----------

"…_Mommy? Will you please play Barbie dolls with me? Naminé's being mean."_

"_She just wants to draw, dear. It's her passion."_

"_I know."_

"_Do you really?"_

"_Of course! Say Mommy… what's passion mean?"_

"_Heh… it means you love something very much, Kairi. Naminé loves drawing."_

"_Okay, then. Will you play dollies with me now?"_

"…_Mommy's not feeling well, dear."_

"_I know! But look, you don't even have to get out of bed! We can play right here."_

"…_I suppose. Which doll am I playing with today?"_

----------

Our father had known was he was getting into when he married her. He always had to be prepared for such a situation, no matter how much it hurt. He always knew, right from the start, what might happen. He was destroyed inside, I knew, but he stayed strong. I didn't know it then, but that was for our sake.

As for Naminé… I know it's wrong to say this, but she was never really close with our parents. It's not that she just didn't care, I know she did. She was really sweet hearted underneath it all, but she was also really shy. I was pretty much the only one she was close to as a kid; she didn't hang around with our parents very much. The thing about her is that she's always been so reserved, even as a child.

I think this trait about her may have been what made it hard for her to make friends later on.

* * *

The three of us (_a broken family…_) stayed in Radiant Garden for about nine months before we realized that being here would do nothing but make getting over Mom's death harder.

That thought in mind, our dad started looking for a new place, far away and drastically different, to live. Almost two months later, we moved to a place called Destiny Islands.

The house we got was nice enough, a large, three bedroom place with two bathrooms and a view of the beach below. At the time, none of us had any desire to meet the neighbors or have fun at the beach.

It was about halfway through summer. Our birthday (_Mom's death date_) was swift approaching. All three of us silently agreed that we wouldn't celebrate Naminé's and my sixth birthday- it was too close to the one year anniversary of Mom's death.

Our family spent the rest of summer locked inside our new house. The only one who went out at all was Dad, and that was only to get a job.

I spent my time sitting by the window, wishing I had the guts to go outside by myself (_pining for freedom; get me out of this nuthouse!_), but never actually managing it.

Even when I was six years old, I clung to Naminé like a toddler, and she never wanted to go outside, so I pretended I didn't, either.

----------

"…_Naminé?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Do you… wanna go outside and play? I saw some boys who look like they're our age. I bet they'd play with us."_

"_Sorry, Kairi. I'd rather just stay in here where it's air-conditioned and I can draw in peace."_

"…_Oh. Okay…What are you drawing?"_

"_It's a picture of your friends from Radiant Garden."_

"_**My **__friends…?"_

"…_I'm drawing it for you."_

"_Okay, thanks. I just wish __**our **__friends could see it."_

"…_Yeah."_

----------

School started a few days after our birthday (_it started on the day Mom died_). I stayed home, faking an illness. I didn't want my first day of first grade (_we were always the youngest in our class…_) to be one where I cried all day.

I remember Naminé had asked whether or not I wanted her to stay home with me. I told her (_yes, yes, oh __**god**__, yes, I can't handle this alone; I need you_) to go on without me.

I skipped the whole first week of school.

Naminé tried to help me on the little bit of homework I missed out on, but mostly spent her time describing people to me. I was amazed to learn that within one week she'd made friends.

She told me all about a boy named Sora, with his chocolate-colored hair spiking out all over the place and his deep sea blue eyes that could see right through you. She told me he was kind (_"So __**nice**__, Kairi, I've never met anyone like him!"_), how he'd offered to share his animal crackers with her. She was only six, but I could tell she liked him.

Naminé had always been mature for her age.

She told me of another boy, this one named Riku. He had long silver hair that I would later think was styled like a girl's, but at the time just thought sounded cute, and sharp sea green eyes that could pierce the soul and freeze you from the inside out (_his icy glares __**killed**_). Naminé said she thought he was nice, too, but not nearly as nice as Sora. He was kinda cool, though, in his own way.

For the first time in a long time, I saw her smiling again. She was happy, so I was happy, too. If school had that effect on her, I couldn't wait to go, myself!

----------

"_And then Riku dropped a crab right on Sora's nose! A __**crab! **__Sora got all freaked out, running around and screaming 'Get it off! Get it off!' It was so funny, Kairi!"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah! I'll draw a picture of it later for you."_

"_Thanks. Hey Naminé…?"_

"_Yeah…?"_

"_You seem… kinda different since starting school."_

"_Really? How so?"_

"_I dunno… I think you're… happy."_

"_Happy?"_

"_Yeah, happy!"_

"_Heh… I __**am **__happy. What do ya know?"_

"_I'm happy, too! Can we be happy __**together**__?"_

"_Of course! You start school on Monday, then I'll introduce you to Sora and Riku and we'll all be the best of friends, right?!"_

"_Right!"_

----------

My first day of school, everything changed.

To this day, I still don't know quite how or why it happened, but five steps into the classroom, I'd gained two very avid admirers. I blame it on the fact that back then, all it took to gain a guy's attention was looking pretty, and I had put my prettiest outfit on in hopes of making a good impression. But still. Aren't boys their age supposed to think girls have cooties or something?!

Naminé was happy that I became fast friends with them as she hoped. She was happy for me because they both admired me instantly. But still I knew what she was thinking (_What about __**me**__? I was friends with them first, so why…?_).

It's not that she was jealous (_okay, maybe a little_), it's just that suddenly it was all about me. For the first time, she'd made friends, and suddenly I appear and she's all but forgotten about.

----------

"_My friends… really liked you."_

"…_Yeah. Are they always so, uh…"_

"_Excited? Enthusiastic? Hyper?"_

"…_Could you explain what those mean to me, please?"_

"…_Never mind. But yeah, they're often like that."_

"_Oh. They were… nice."_

"_That's just the way they are, Kairi. You know, Sora… was really taken with you."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I mean, he liked you right away. Riku, too."_

"_But didn't you say they're always like that?"_

"…_Yeah."_

"_You know, I understand what you meant about them now. They're really nice, and I feel like I fit right in 'cause of all you told me 'bout them!"_

"_Really? That's… good."_

"_You were totally right about them, Naminé! Riku's cool, and Sora's super nice! He even gave up half his cookie for me!_

"…_Really."_

"_Yeah! I like them."_

"_That's… great."_

"_Naminé?"_

"…_Let's get working on the addition worksheet."_

----------

Unstable as it was, the friendship between us four lasted just fine for many years, with Naminé slowly growing used to the fact that both boys liked me, despite the fact that she was clearly head over heels in love with Sora.

The four of us went to the beach and hung out together every summer, not to mention were always together during the school year- although Riku was a grade higher, so this was a bit more difficult.

Sometimes, Sora, Riku, and I would go swimming and end up splashing each other like crazy while Naminé sat in the sand smiling softly watching, sometimes drawing the scene. Sometimes Sora and Riku would fight with wooden swords (_they were fighting to impress me…_) and more often than not Sora would get his butt whipped, all while Naminé and I watched from the sidelines.

Sometimes, on these hot summer days of fun, Sora would walk on over to Naminé and either ask her to join them in the fun (_she'd blush and politely decline_) or ask what she's drawing (_she'd tentatively hand over her sketchbook to show him and explain_), after which he'd compliment her on her drawing capability (_she'd blush like crazy and stutter out a thanks_) and come back over to Riku and I to play.

----------

I spent over five years trying to convince her to ask Sora out, despite the fact that he was becoming a bit more bold in his flirting with me (_I didn't like him like that; not __**yet**_).

She finally plucked up her courage and did it after we turned fourteen. I was right there with her, helping her every step of the way.

----------

"_What…?"_

"_You heard what she said, Sora."_

"_I- yeah, but…"_

"_Please."_

"_Naminé…?"_

"_**Please **__give me a chance, Sora. I know… that you don't care for me… that way, but still, I-"_

"_But Naminé-"_

"_Let me finish, Sora. I like you. I may even… no, I __**know **__that I __**love **__you, so please give me a chance, Sora."_

"_But I-"_

"_Come on, Sora. Naminé is a __**great **__person, and you do care for her."_

"_As a friend!"_

"_God, Sora, stop interrupting! As I was saying, if you'd just give her a chance -give a __**relationship **__the chance- you may end up liking it! You love her as a __**friend**__, I know, but in time, who knows? Maybe if you gave this a chance, you'd fall __**in love **__with her, so please give her a chance!"_

"_But…"_

----------

I'd locked eyes with a distressed Sora that day, and seen something I really shouldn't have. Naminé loved him, but looking into his eyes, I could tell _he _loved _me_. I had the sinking feeling Naminé _knew_, too. I had closed my eyes in despair (_I sent one of the people I care about most headfirst into a situation that could end up with her heart breaking_) and held back a groan. If she was rejected, it would be _my _fault (_could I handle that guilt?_).

----------

"_Go out with her, Sora."_

"_Kairi…"_

"_Please. Give her a chance."_

"_I…"_

"…_Would you do it for me?"_

"…_What…?"_

"_Sora, I __**want **__you to go out with her. It's your choice, of course, but will you do it for me, if no one else?"_

"…_Okay."_

----------

And it _was _okay for about five months after that. Naminé and Sora were an item, and everyone thought they were great together. Our group of four still hung out often, but now every now and then Sora and Naminé would go off on their own on dates, leaving Riku and me alone. Neither of us minded, me because Naminé was happy (_I finally got to see her smiling again_) and Riku because it meant he got to hang out with me alone (_no more competition or worrying about hurting Sora's feelings_).

And yet… something was wrong.

Even after dating for a while, the two never got very close. The most you'd ever catch them doing is kissing, and Naminé was _always _the one to initiate that. For such a touchy-feely guy, Sora avoided touching her more than necessary. Normally, the only sign that they were more than friends is that they held hands- otherwise, no one would be the wiser.

One day, everything changed.

---------

The night before, Naminé and Sora had been out on a date; she'd gotten back late, but went straight to her room (_something's wrong_). She wouldn't talk to me, so I did the most logical thing I could think of: I called Sora over to ask him if he knew what wrong.

As soon as I saw him, a sinking feeling (_oh no, please don't tell me that they…_) of realization hit me. He looked horrible. His eyes were puffy, his nose was red; it was clear he'd been crying, and Sora, being the bright, optimistic person he is, just _doesn't _cry.

When I told him why I called him over, he hung his head in what could only be shame.

----------

"_I'm sorry, Kairi, but I, I just couldn't!"_

"_Couldn't __**what**__, Sora? What happened?"_

"_I… I broke up with Naminé last night."_

"_WHAT?! Why, Sora? Do you have any idea how upset she probably is right now?!"_

"_You have to understand, Kairi, I never meant to hurt her! I just, I can't be with someone I'm not in love with! All that was coming from that relationship was pain and awkwardness!"_

"_How do you know you couldn't have fallen in love with her if you stuck it out longer?! Why couldn't you at least __**try**__?!"_

"_I __**did **__try, Kairi! I've been trying for five months now, but it's not helping! I'm sorry, I really am!"_

"_Well you should have given it more time! You might still have fallen for her! __**Why**__, Sora, why couldn't you hold out any longer?!"_

"_Because, I-"_

"_Because of you, Naminé's locked up her room, probably bawling her eyes out! So why would you do that to her?! How-"_

"_I-"_

"_-could you be so __**insensitive, **__Sora, you're not like this! Why- Mmph!"_

----------

He had kissed me then, effectively shutting me up. I hadn't expected it, not from him. I mean, he wasn't the type to be so bold, but even more than that, I was just shocked. Inwardly, I'd known the answer all along (_he broke up with her because he couldn't handle being with her while loving me_) and had misplaced my anger upon him in futile hopes that I could convince him to give dating Naminé another shot. I should have known better.

Of course, to make matters worse, a small part of me _enjoyed _the kiss (_all those years of him chasing after me weren't in vain_). I knew this, too (_somehow, despite all my best efforts at resisting him, I'd fallen for him just like Naminé had_).

And then there was Naminé. I can only assume she saw Sora through her window and came out to see him (_she could have gone without what she saw_). Maybe if I'd had the willpower to resist Sora, the scene would have played out differently. I know I would have preferred her to see me breaking away from him, possibly even slapping him and asking how he could do that after just breaking up with _her_. What she _really _saw was my eyes fluttering shut and my arms winding their way around his neck of their own accord. Yes, I (_betrayed my own family; am a horrible person_) should have resisted Sora.

But I didn't, and Naminé wouldn't talk to me after that. Her only consolation is that I snapped out of it and refused to talk to _Sora _for a while after that. He was too good a friend to stay away from permanently, but I managed to turn his offer of a date down for Naminé's sake when he asked weeks later. My feelings for him would fade, I was sure (_eventually, they did_).

* * *

About two months after Sora and Naminé broke up, Riku shocked us all by asking her out. Naminé was the most shocked out of all of us. She even forgot she wasn't talking to me.

----------

"_I thought… that Riku liked __**you**__."_

"…_Yeah, I kinda did, too."_

"_Really?"_

"_Um… yeah. Not to sound conceited, or anything."_

"_Of course not, it's fine. I mean… you don't like him like that, right?"_

"_He's just a friend, Naminé. If you want to go out with him, I'm fine with it."_

"_Okay… Wait. Who said I wanted to go out with him?!"_

----------

Naminé pondered it over for a few days before finally saying yes. She was fairly certain she'd never care about him the same way she had cared (_still cared_) for Sora, but she'd try.

And once again, everything was fine for a few months. Despite the fact that almost no one had seen it coming, Naminé and Riku went well together. Riku was smart enough that he could hold the kind of intellectual conversation she needed sometimes, and Naminé was peaceful and quiet, which helped keep Riku down to earth, as well.

Unlike the relationship with Sora, it was clear the two were together, mainly due to all the little things the two did for each other (_Riku helping her get seated when he came and ate over at our house, Naminé watching shows on TV she'd never have watched before but knows Riku likes, the constant casual and light-hearted banter between the two_).

The two were together for a little over four months, and once again, Naminé was happy. But one day she came home acting a bit odd.

----------

"_Naminé…? Is something wrong?"_

"_You could say that."_

_"Well…?"_

"…_He broke up with me."_

"_What?! Oh my gosh, are you okay? You're not gonna start crying, are you?!"_

"_No. I'm fine."_

"_Naminé?"_

"_I never… fell in love with him. I did grow to love him, and I liked spending time with him, but it's not like it was with Sora."_

"_Oh, that's… good to know."_

"_We were right, you know. He told me he likes you, which is why he can't go out with me anymore."_

"…_Seriously?"_

"_Yeah. But I don't mind; I knew that all along."_

"_Then why are you acting so strange? Did something else happen?"_

"…_He felt sorry for me."_

"_What?"_

"_It's why he asked me out. He felt __**sorry **__for me because his best friend broke my heart."_

"_What?! No way, Riku wouldn't do that! That's so stupid and insensitive!"_

"_He didn't realize that it would hurt me more in the long run. He was too __**blinded **__by his __**pity **__for me."_

"_I- I'm sure he never meant to hurt you…"_

"_I know."_

"_It's okay, Naminé. Give it a few days, and everything will go back to normal. It'll be just us four __**friends**__ again, no more of that confusing relationship stuff!"_

"_Sora and Riku both like you, Kairi. It'll never be the same."_

"_They've __**always **__liked me! I already turned Sora down, and if Riku asks me out, I'll do the same to him!"_

"…_Will you kiss __**him**__, too?"_

"…_You know I never meant for that to happen."_

"_I know."_

"_I'm serious!"_

"_Sure."_

"_Listen to m-"_

"_I'm leaving here soon."_

"…_What? What do you mean?"_

"_Exactly what I said. I can't stay here anymore. It's too awkward."_

"_But you belong here, with Sora, and Riku, and-"_

"_I've never __**belonged**__ with them, Kairi. Isn't that painfully obvious by now?"_

"…_You belong with me."_

"_We're fifteen now, Kairi. You don't need me anymore."_

"_But…"_

"_Just hear me out, okay?"_

"…_Fine…"_

"_I've got this pen pal over in a place known as Twilight Town. Her name's Olette. She-"_

"_I didn't know you had a pen pal."_

"…_I didn't tell anyone about her. As I was saying, she and I have been writing each other for a little over two years now, and we agreed that if the other ever wanted to visit or needed a change of scenery, we'd go to each other. You got it so far?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_Well, I can't stay here any longer; what with the incident with Sora and now Riku, it's just too hard. So in my last letter, I asked her if I could come stay with her, and yesterday I got her reply: she said yes. I'm taking the next subway out of here and heading for Twilight Town."_

"_But in your last letter, you were still dating Riku, right? Why would you ask to stay with her when you were happy here?"_

"…_I had a feeling it wouldn't last. And I was right, wasn't I?"_

"_Naminé…"_

"_It's not like this is the end, Kairi. I'll have my cell phone with me; you can call anytime."_

"…_Okay."_

----------

And that was that. Just days after we had turned fifteen, she left and I was (_all alone; don't leave me!_) truly on my own for the first time in my life.

----------

"_Tell Sora, Riku, and Dad I'm sorry for not saying goodbye to them."_

"_Okay."_

"_And tell them… that I love them."_

"_Of course."_

"_Goodbye, Kairi. I… love you."_

"_Yeah. Bye, Naminé. I love you, too."_

----------

Sora and Riku both felt guilty that she was gone, blaming themselves. I told them it wasn't their fault (_it was __**mine**_). For a while, the three of us had a very tense time interacting, but two months after she was gone, it was like Naminé had never been there in the first place. When I finally realized the three of us had moved our friendship on without her, I felt so guilty.

It seems I was the only one who truly missed her. In our father's defense, he did occasionally say he missed her, but he was so busy with work, he didn't even have time to care for the daughter in the _house _(_pay attention to me, Father; I'm not invisible, you know_), much less one _three-and-a-half hours away_.

* * *

One year passed astonishingly quickly; I find it ironic that our sweet sixteen (_one of the most important birthdays_) was the first one we celebrated separately.

I had called her often, but her phone was usually turned off, meaning more often than not, I had to wait for her to call me to know how she was doing. She had called about a month ago to say she had met someone and told me Olette and the gang were doing okay, but didn't say much else. I was getting worried.

I resigned myself to waiting for her call when something happened; I received a phone call.

----------

"_Hello?"_

"_Hello?! Is this Kairi?!"_

"_Uh, yes. Who is this?"_

"_My name's Olette! I'm a friend of Naminé's!_

"_Oh, yeah, she's talked about you before. What's happening? Why do you seem so frantic?"_

"_I- I think something bad happened to her."_

"_To Naminé?!"_

"_Yeah! I mean, lately she's been ditching us to go hang out with this guy, which, while rude, I thought was okay. She talked about him constantly, and he seemed like an okay guy, even if he was a little old for her."_

"_Excuse me?!"_

"_She was dating this pink haired guy, I think she called him Marluxia? He's like twenty-two or something, but he seemed nice enough, so I let her be, but now…"_

"_What happened?! Where is she?!"_

"…_She's not here anymore. I got home to find the room she'd been staying in a complete wreck, and a note on the table saying 'Gone to Hollow Bastion. Don't follow me'."_

"_WHAT?!"_

"_I think that guy r-"_

----------

I had hung up, packed a few bare necessities, left voice mails explaining my absence to Sora and Riku, and boarded the next train to this mysterious place known as Hollow Bastion.

Something had happened to Naminé, and I was _going _to find out what.

* * *

I had been tense and unsure of what to do next and so I remained on the train even as it stopped at multiple points in the city, and then a guy with flaming red hair had gotten on and made me forget all about my troubles, at least for a while.

He was, I hated to admit, pretty hot. Not the type of guy I'd usually go for (_he's clearly only in it for the sex_), but I figured I'd match wits with him for a while. It had made for a good distraction.

He had been flirting with me, I knew (_maybe I was flirting back, just a bit_). For the little while we bantered, I forgot all about Naminé, all about my dead mother, all about the two boys who were probably worried sick about me now (_I went to a dangerous city all by myself. I hope I don't die here; I never bothered to tell Dad goodbye_). Hell, had our conversation lasted any longer or his proximity gotten any closer, I might have forgotten my own _name_. He had touched my arm at one point (_hot, hot, hot; his touch __**burns**_) and it had had the strangest effect on me.

But then he was gone and the spell was broken (_do you have to go so soon, Axel?_).

With my only distraction from the problem at hand gone, I immediately recalled why I was there in the first place and felt terribly guilty (_what kind of girl forgets about a family member in trouble just because a cute guy is flirting with her? I'm horrible…_). I couldn't even bring myself to leave the train.

----------

I stayed there on the subway, while others got on and off. I think I may have fell asleep at some point (_please tell me this is all just a dream_), because I remember the conductor waking me to say I had to get off, this was the last stop.

Ironically enough, I'd ended up in Radiant Garden.

Not many people would agree to driving you to a dangerous city two hours away when you'd rudely awaken them at midnight and they hadn't seen you in ten years (_one of the things I love most about Yuffie is the fact that she would_).

We drove in silence, and secured a hotel for the night (_I paid as a way to make it up to her for waking her up_), whereupon we immediately crashed onto our separate beds.

Considering the circumstances, I had expected to sleep and wake to thoughts of Naminé, and indeed I did fall asleep thinking of nothing but finding her again.

I was highly confused when I woke the next morning thinking about fire.

---------

After convincing Yuffie I'd be fine on my own, I set out looking for someone who might be able to help me find Naminé (_I knew it was too much to assume I'd be able to find her directly_), and the first hour of my search was unsuccessful.

Then, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a local musician. He seemed familiar to me, and I realized he'd been on the subway last night. I'd ignored him then, to busy thinking about Naminé (_not her; I was thinking of fire, how it burned my skin, how his __**touch **__had felt like fire; get out of my head, Axel!_), but now I wish I'd talked to him.

I approached him.

----------

He knew Naminé. This strange boy with the weird looking instrument _knew _Naminé! Even more than that, he knew where she was. And he was taking me to her!

It's been over a year since I've actually seen her, and I really have missed her terribly. And now I was being lead to her (_what should I say to her? How can I convince her to come back home?_) by a very enthusiastic young man. The way he'd reacted when I started talking about her made it quite clear that he liked her, but he seemed nice enough for the time being, so if she happened to like him back, I'd be fine with it.

What I want to know is how he knows Sora. I mean, I suppose it would make sense for him to come here, because he's probably feeling super guilty about what's happening with Naminé, but why would this guy lie about seeing him? Unless… Naminé talked about him? Ugh, this is giving me a headache (_I don't want to think about it_).

We skid to a halt in front of a hotel and then the boy leading me goes barging in, me in tow.

"Excuse me!" he says to the clerk. "I'm looking for a girl who checked in here last night? She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was checked in under the name…"

I blink, his name completely escaping my hearing as he continues rambling on. It just occurred to me that we haven't introduced ourselves to each other yet. I'll have to remember to correct that wrong as soon as I see Naminé.

"What…?" I glance up at the taller boy. Odd. He seems somewhat heartbroken. Why? Was it something the clerk said?

I move my attention to the clerk. "What did you say?"

He rolls his eyes (_hey, this is part of your job, no need to have an attitude about it!_) and drawls, "I said, "That girl checked out early this morning". She left a message, actually."

The tall boy beside me perks ever so slightly as I bite my lip (_please don't be what I think this is; please be a message leading us to you; don't run away again_). He practically yells, "Really? What's it say?!"

The clerk sighs (_he clearly hates his job_). "Just one word. 'Sorry'."

Silence.

The boy beside me visibly deflates, aqua eyes sparkling with something like looks scarily like tears (_though who am I to talk? I feel like crying, too_). "Just… just like that?"

I sigh and bow my head (_so close, so close, so __**close**_), shaking as I try to fight off my own tears. "…Yeah. Just like that." Just like that, she had run away again. Even to me, my voice sounds bitter.

For a moment, the boy seems to forget that he was about to cry and focuses his attention on me. "Miss…?"

I'm shaking from the effort it takes to keep from crying. "I was _so __**close**_!"

So close to finding her- finding my twin sister, older than me by about three minutes. So close to finding the person I'd continually clung to all these years until she'd finally just ripped herself away. So close...

Right in the middle of a popular hotel lobby, I break down and cry.

* * *

AN- Whew! All this in one day, and it's the longest chapter yet! Please don't expect them all to be this long though. Typing up FIFTEEN PAGES is a lot of work. Anyway. I really like this chapter, even though not much progress is made. It's easier on me to do a girl's perspective for once (I'm a girl, so girl perspectives are easier for me), and I had fun coming up with their past. Whatcha think? Dramatic enough, or did it suck and prove I can't write anything even mildly tragic to save my life? I also stuck in some subtle Axel/Kairi hints in this chapter *couldn't resist*, hope you liked 'em! As always, reviews encourage me! But I still intend to at least get one chapter of my Pokémon fic done before another chapter of this, okay? Bye!


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